New Kit! Lotto-Belisol

January 1st means lots of things: hangovers, resolutions to break, a crowded gym, etc. January 1st also means new team kits! The first of the year is when everyone can finally wear their new team kit. Before this date, riders are contractually obligated to wear their kit and ride the bikes from their previous team. Now, as the racing season starts with the Jayco Bay Cycling Classic in Australia this week and the Tour Down Under on the 17th (the first official UCI race), all the teams are officially revealing their new kits. And all the armchair sports fans, like myself, are officially critiquing them! So, first up: Lotto-Belisol. This is one of the teams to come out of the break up of Omega Pharma-Lotto.

Not Jedward

Separately, I like the parts. I like the colors and the design of the jersey and shorts on their own. However, the two design teams clearly didn’t consult each other, as there no continuity between the two! There is no flow from the shorts to the jersey and it just looks mismatched. The shorts are all vertical and the jersey is all horizontal. I wish they had done a better job integrating the two, because this coulda been a contender for a standout kit of 2012- based on what I’ve seen so far, the Leopard-Trek theme is holding strong. Nothing wrong with that, of course, but it’s relatively unimaginative.

Anyway, here’s a comparison picture of the Omega Pharma-Lotto kit from last year. I like that one better. Takeaway lesson- keep the shorts simple.

EDIT: Here’s a roster of the team, so you know who will be wearing this kit!